A/N: Sorry this took so long everybody, I got sick, then half my household got Covid, and then I started writing something lighter to decompress and got way more invested in it than expected, but here's a chapter now. Merry Christmas to everybody, and happy holidays to those that don't celebrate. IMPORTANT FF DOT NET INFORMATION, THEY'VE CHANGED THE SETTINGS SO THAT YOU ONLY RECEIVE ALERTS IF YOU OPT IN EVERY SIX MONTHS, MAKE SURE TO SET IT APPROPRIATELY SO YOU GET NOTIFIED ABOUT UPDATES.

In Johto, a redhaired man in his twenties stared down at his phone, debating whether or not to make a call. It was late in Alola, or rather very, very early, but the warning he had to give needed to reach his family pronto.

Aunt Andrea was probably already asleep, and he didn't have any contact information for his uncle, but there was a chance that Sun would still be awake.

So, he punched in his cousin's number, and waited. The phone rang once, twice, and Silver was prepared to leave a message on Sun's voicemail, but just as he heard the third ring, someone picked up the phone.

"Hello," a sleepy voice that was decidedly feminine said blearily, "can I help you?"

"I was calling to speak to Su- er, Elio Ray," Silver said, somewhat confused. "Is this still his number?"

"Sun?" the girl on the other end said in sleepy confusion. "There's a guy on the phone for you."

Muffled speech, and the sound of what was probably the phone being dropped on something soft. "Hello?" his cousin said, voice less sleepy than the girl's had been, but no less confused. "This is Sun."

"Sun, it's me," Silver said, knowing his cousin would recognize his voice. "It's been a while."

"Silver…" Sun replied recognition mixing with the tiredness in his tone. "It's the middle of the night… Why are you calling now?"

"I needed to talk to you about the family business," Silver told him. If that phrase didn't cause Sun to jump to alertness, then Silver would know he needed to call at another time.

But the sharp exhalation of breath that echoed into the phone told the twenty-three-year-old that any tiredness had fled his cousin. "Give me a minute," Sun said solemnly, followed by muffled sounds of movement.

Muffled words, presumably from the young woman. Then the sound of a sliding door being opened and shut. "Okay," Sun said, "what did you want me to know, Silver?"

"Father's organization is rumored to be making some big moves," Silver began. "Have you heard anything about that?"

"I know that Rocket Agents were believed to be spotted here in Alola," Sun told him. "Detective Looker paid Mom a visit the other night."

Silver groaned. "I told him you both wouldn't know anything," the redhaired young man groused. "Maybe I should've been more direct in telling him to stay away from you both."

"Don't worry about it," Sun assured him. "He was there to pass on a warning, Mama said. Nothing more, nothing less."

"And all he mentioned was that my father's agents had been spotted in Alola?" Silver queried.

"Yeah," his cousin confirmed, worry in his voice. "Why? Is there something more we should know?"

Silver closed his eyes, willing himself to not get angry. It was highly possible that Looker didn't know about this latest bit of news, indeed he himself had only just heard about it. Most likely, Looker hadn't deceived Aunt Andrea and Sun by omission. He took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled. "Looker might not have known, but…" Silver began, struggling to get the words out. He didn't want to burden Sun with this. Silver had already dedicated his life to cleaning up the messes his parents made in the world.

"Sil, come on," Sun urged, gently but firmly. "If there's something I need to know, spit it out."

The old nickname brought the ghost of a smile to Silver's lips. "Okay," he agreed. "Okay. There are rumors going around that Team Rocket is getting involved with Cipher."

Sun gasped in horror, and Silver didn't blame him. Silver's father may have been the most infamous criminal in recent history, with a name known the world over, but Cipher was a name people were taught to fear and revile in school. "I thought they were annihilated," Sun said, cold anger in his voice. "All of their members either jailed or reformed. Uncle's getting mixed up with them?!"

"I don't know!" Silver exclaimed, the horror of the information he was passing on to his cousin overcoming his normal stoicism. "Honestly, I would have dismissed the rumors, but the sources were credible. Between Ethan's contacts and mine, it seems to be lining up."

"I never thought he'd stoop as low as using Shadow Pokémon," Sun growled, disgust dripping from every word. "I've known for years that he isn't the man I believed he was, but I always thought that kind of inhumanity would be a step too far, even for him."

"Well, that's the other thing that doesn't make any sense," Silver complained. "The same credible contacts have been giving us conflicting reports about this, and the few contacts I have in my father's organization have said almost exactly that. And that they have no business in Alola. I don't know what to make of it."

Sun exhaled sharply. "Agents acting without orders?" he offered. "It wouldn't be the first time. Almost all of the Executives' actions in Johto were that, after all."

"It's possible," Silver acknowledged. "But if that really is what's going on, you need to be even more on your guard. My father is dangerous, but he does have lines he won't cross. If there are rogue Agents acting in Alola, and they really have allied themselves with Cipher of all groups…"

"Then they don't have any shred of a moral compass," Sun agreed, before he let out a yawn. "Sorry Sil…" the younger man said with embarrassment.

"Get some sleep," Silver commanded, despite his amusement. "I'll call you again if I find anything more out."

"Okay," Sun agreed. "And Sil… Don't be a stranger, yeah? You can call whenever. Just try not to call when I'm sleeping, next time."

"I will," Silver assured him, and ended the call.

The redhaired young man sighed, still staring at his phone. He'd wanted to tell Sun to stay out of it if the rumors turned out to be true, but he hadn't for two crucial reasons: First and foremost, he'd known it would be pointless. Sun, much like the rest of their family, was far too stubborn to be swayed from his course once he'd set his heart on it. And second… well, Silver knew it would make him a hypocrite.

He'd run off to Johto grasping at his father's shadow, and while he didn't regret leaving Kanto for Johto even now, considering everything else it had brought him, he could've taken the time to at least say farewell to his aunt, and to Sun. They'd taken him in when his parents had gone on the run, and he'd left them behind without so much as a goodbye. How long had it been before he'd contacted them again? Months? A year? Either way, Silver had no room to tell Sun to stay out of things concerning the Rocket Syndicate. He'd just have to hope his cousin would make better choices than Silver himself had.

People are generally not out and about after midnight in Alola. The few that are up that late are usually trainers getting some last-minute training in, pokémon center attendants, or police officers picking up slack so that the local Jenny can get a good night's rest. And it is due to the distinct lack of people about that Faba, Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation, finds himself in the harbor of Heahea City in the dead of night.

"How much longer are these fools going to take?" Faba complained to the low ranked Aether Employee he'd ordered to tag along as a bodyguard in case the people they were planning to meet with grew violent.

"Sir, they're not late," she pointed out, reasonably. "We arrived early."

"That doesn't matter," the Branch Chief replied disdainfully, adjusting his ridiculous glasses. "I am the Branch Chief of Aether Foundation! How can I reasonably be expected to wait on anyone?"

"Take it easy, lab coat," a rough voice said from behind them. "Team Skull shows up when we feel like it, yeah?"

Faba and his bodyguard spun around to find a tall young woman, probably nineteen or so, approaching them, flanked on either side by Team Skull Grunts.

"I thought I was meeting with Guzma," Faba complained. "Not some of his lackeys."

The young woman snorted, clearly unimpressed, but the grunts took much greater offense. "Hey, hey don't talk about our big sis like that, old man!" one snarled.

"Yeah, exactly like my bro said," agreed the other. "No one gets to look down on Big Sis Plumeria."

Both of them grabbed pokéballs from their belts, and made to step forward, but the young woman, presumably named Plumeria, stuck her arm out in front of them. "Easy guys, I got this," she assured them calmly, before she turned her narrowed eyes on Faba. "I'm here as Guz's representative, as his Admin, if you will. We heard you had a business offer for us, so get to offerin' already."

Confident that the employee beside him would back him up, Faba glared right back. "Hmph, I suppose I'll let your insubordination slide, if it'll let us get down to business already. You Team Skull morons like fighting, don't you? Well, I have a mark for you. Two, to be precise."

Plumeria's head tilted to the side and rolled her hand in a "go on" gesture. "We're listening," she said.

"Show her," he commanded the employee he'd brought with him, who dutifully brought up the images of the two troublemakers on her tablet. "Those two. That young woman, and that young man."

The Skull Grunts gasped as they saw the images, causing Plumeria to shift her gaze to them. "Th-Those are…" one said.

"Sun and Lillie," the second agreed.

"A, B, you know these guys?" Plumeria asked, slightly surprised.

"Yeah," the first one, presumably A, agreed. "We've gotten in fights with 'em before. They smoked us."

"So, this is pleasure as much as business then," Plumeria growled, hands clenching into fists. "Don't worry, I'll pay 'em back for it, you guys."

"Wait, Sis, wait!" B squawked waving his hands in the air. "Don't go picking a fight with 'em on our account! Sun's always been good to us after he beats us, y'know?!"

"Yeah," A agreed. "He even got those jerks who run the Mantine Surf to allow us to ride on the Mantine again. He's a good guy, never fought us if we didn't pick the fight."

"What A said," B confirmed. "And if he gets the chance, he gives us gear to heal up our pokémon. Honest sis, Sun and that Lillie chick are alright. I mean, I wouldn't mind havin' another fight with 'em…"

"But they've never done wrong by Team Skull, either," A finished. "Honestly Sis, I ain't too keen on us goin' after folks that have been good to us, even if Aether pays good."

Plumeria looked thoughtful. "Why exactly do you want us to go after these kids, anyway?" the Skull Admin asked Faba, tone decidedly neutral.

"They have something that belongs to the Aether Foundation," the Branch Chief said, which was only partially true. "We'll pay you up front, but you'll be rewarded very handsomely if you bring them to us." Faba was certain she'd be too dumb to ask what exactly the children had that was so valuable, which would keep the Skull louts from asking questions that the Aether Foundation, and more importantly he, himself, couldn't afford to get out.

Plumeria nodded. "Let's see the cash then," and when A and B began to protest, she gave them both gentle knocks on the head.

Faba nodded in understanding and withdrew a large stack of bills from his lab coat. "Surely this will suffice for you Team Skull buffoons?" he demanded.

His assistant winced at his words, but Plumeria just smiled. "Sure, you give us all that? We'll find those kids."

"But Sis-" A and B protested.

Faba chuckled malevolently as he handed the cash over to her. So, she was a greedy type, eh? Those were always the easiest to exploit, those who were gluttons for money or power. And once Lillie and the Cosmog specimen were back under Aether's control, no one would be able to remove his control of the Foundation. "My card is in there as well, contact us once you've captured them."

"Of course, of course," she agreed, pocketing the cash. "I'll tell you as soon as I capture them."

Faba grinned malevolently and adjusted his glasses. "Very good, that concludes our business for this evening," and so saying, he made his way for the apartment he was renting on Akala.

No sooner was Faba out of sight than did A and B turn and glare at Plumeria. "What the hell was that, Big Sis?" they demanded in unison. "You're gonna work for that lab coat wearing bastard?"

Plumeria rolled her eyes. "A, B, don't be stupid," she told them. "Of course, I won't. But I couldn't tell the bastard that, could I?"

Matching smirks spread across the Grunts' faces as their big sister's plans sank in. "So," A said, "we took his cash…"

"And we don't even have to work for him!" B exclaimed. "Sis, you are a genius."

"Not so loud, you numbskulls," Plumeria chided affectionately. "You know these kids, so try and find 'em tomorrow. Warn 'em about that Faba creep, yeah?"

"What are you gonna tell the boss?" A asked curiously. "Wasn't he keen on workin' with Aether?"

"Team Skull started up so that outcasts like us would have a place to go," Plumeria reminded him. "If we've got people bein' nice to us outcasts, how can we justify selling them out for cash?"

A and B nodded appreciatively. "So, you want us to warn them about Aether, and about Lab Coat in particular. Anything else we should pass on?"

Plumeria tilted her head in thought. "Yeah, you know what?" she said with a smirk. "Offer 'em one of our tank tops."

A and B's eyes went wide with shock. "For real, Sis?" A asked incredulously. "No offense, but I don't think the kids'll be interested in signing up with Team Skull."

"Yeah," B agreed, "that Sun kid seems like he's got big plans, becomin' the Island Challenge Champion and stuff. He doesn't seem like he'd be interested in workin' for us."

Plumeria shook her head though. "Nah, nah, you're thinking too small," she complained. "I'm just talking about an alliance here. We've already got Gladion working with us. Let's get some more trainers pulled in."

A and B exchanged glances. While they couldn't find fault with their sister's logic, they also couldn't pretend that the idea of Sun working with Team Skull seemed likely, either. "We'll make him an offer," A finally said, and B nodded. If it was what Big Sis wanted, they'd do it. Even if they did think it was a bad idea.

It was around noon the next day when Lillie, Sun, and their pokémon finally finished their trek from Heahea City and made it to Route 5 on the other side of Paniola Town. Hau had texted them that he'd be awaiting them there, and for the first time in a while, it seemed he hadn't gotten overexcited and run off when they had been planning to meet up.

Indeed, Hau was in the middle of a battle, Puka's electricity and psychic energy flashing through the air. But when Lillie looked over to see who he was battling; she felt her blood run cold. A masked chimeric pokémon swiped at Hau's Pikachu with talon-like claws. A Type: Null. And standing opposite Hau, commanding the Type: Null, was… "Gladion…" Lillie breathed, glaring at her older brother. After he'd run off with one of Mother's science projects, she hadn't expected to see her elder brother ever again, and now that she was… All she could feel was an icy anger.

"Lillie?" Sun asked with concern, followed by their pokémon giving worried cries.

"That's… That's my brother, Gladion," she hissed under her breath. "What's he doing here?" she spoke more loudly.

Not bothering to wait for a response from her boyfriend, Lillie strode up to her brother. "Gladion!" she snapped, causing his attention to shift from the battle to her.

"Lillie?" her brother asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here, Gladion?!" she demanded. "When you abandoned me in Aether Paradise, it seemed like you couldn't get out of Alola quick enough!"

"Abandoned you?" Gladion asked, his confusion breaking through his typically stoic countenance. "Lillie, Aether Paradise is our home. I left you safe with Mother, while I went out to train and get stronger, that's all there was to it."

Lillie snorted; her green eyes very cold. "Safe?" she mocked. "With Mother? Oh Big Brother, you have no idea what you're talking about."

Sun, finally having caught up to her, looked back and forth between them. "Lillie… who's this?" he asked with concern.

"I'm Gladion," her elder brother offered, holding out his hand for Sun to shake. "Lillie's older brother."

Lillie's boyfriend shook her jerk brother's hand and turned to her with surprise. "Lillie, you never mentioned having a brother," Sun said in confusion. "Why'd you never mention him?"

"Because two years ago, he ran off," Lillie explained, bitterness heavy in her tone. "He left me behind with Mother."

"I needed to get stronger," Gladion insisted. "I had to get strong enough to keep from losing you and Mother like we lost Father!"

Lillie opened her mouth to snarl something nasty at her elder brother who, from her point of view, had so callously left her behind, but Sun spoke before she could. "Do you know what Aether's been like since you left?" he asked quietly, and Lillie stared at her boyfriend in confusion. "Or what Lillie's been through?"

"I mean, I'm sure Mother's been preoccupied trying to get Father back, but she must've eased up somewhat, right? Lillie's back in her old outfit, so things can't be that bad."

Something about how innocently her brother said things that couldn't have been further from the truth broke through the ice that had clogged Lillie's heart upon seeing him again. So, with a slightly bitter, but not angry, laugh the pale young woman shook her head. Before she could begin to explain just how bad their mother, and Aether by extension, had become, Hau, seeming to have realized that the battle had at least been postponed, did what he did best, and cut in with a bright smile on his face. "Wait, so you guys are family?!" Hau exclaimed.

Sun chuckled, "Come on, buddy. Isn't it obvious?" he asked.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Hau mused looking between them, taking in their identical hair, eye color, and skin tones.

Lillie couldn't help it, between the tension she was still feeling and the absurdity of Hau not realizing he'd been fighting her big brother, she broke down into a massive fit of giggles. And as she laughed herself to tears, she felt what remained of her anger evaporate.

After Lillie's giggling fit had subsided, she explained what had actually been going on at Aether Paradise the past few years and felt a bit of relief to see the horror blossoming in her brother's eyes as he learned what their mother and her employees had gotten up to. "Lillie," Gladion said in a low voice, "I swear I didn't know. I would've come back for you if I had."

Lillie nodded silently. She didn't know what to say to that. She couldn't bring herself to call him a liar, when the guilt in his eyes made it painfully clear he was telling the truth.

"If you're looking to get stronger," Sun suggested, "try doing the Island Challenge like Hau and me. It's how we're both aiming for the top, at least."

Gladion allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "I appreciate the idea," he replied, "but I have my own means of getting stronger." He whistled and the Type: Null he'd stolen two years ago loped over to him. "Me and Silvally here are going around all the islands, battling the strongest trainers we can."

"Silva…" rumbled Gladion's chimeric partner in agreement.

"You nicknamed your Type: Null?" Lillie asked in surprise. "You never seemed to like giving pokémon nicknames before."

Gladion shook his head. "Type: Null… Type: Full…" he uttered with disgust. "Those were just names for its kind as an experiment. They deserve a real name like any pokémon, so I'm calling their species Silvally."

Sun stared at the chimeric pokémon, seemingly entranced. "Poor thing," he whispered in horror much to Lillie's bewilderment. "You're in a lot of pain, aren't you?"

"Sil…" the normal type groaned in agreement.

"You can tell?" Gladion asked, surprised as Lillie was.

"Silvally's head is hanging so low," Sun said, and whether that was in response to Gladion's question or if he was just talking to himself, Lillie wasn't sure. "You hate that mask, don't you? It hurts, huh?"

"Silva…" whined the chimaera. Lillie was shocked. She knew Sun had great empathy for pokémon, it was one of the things that she loved about him, but he'd picked that up so quickly.

"How… How can you know that?" Gladion asked. "I mean you're right, but…"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sun asked, finally turning back to look at them. "For Arceus' sake why is it wearing this thing?"

Gladion sighed. "The Type: Full, as they were known back then, were created by one of my mother's scientists," Lillie's big brother explained. "In theory they were created to help my mother's company attack Ultra Beasts when she finally entered Ultra Space to find my father. They were synthesized from a bunch of different pokémon, with the idea that they would be able to switch between different types."

"Like Arceus," Sun noted, eyes wide with shock.

"Exactly," Gladion confirmed disgustedly. "But the process didn't quite work. All of the 'Type: Full' rejected the equipment that would've enabled them to change type and went on a rampage in the lab. And so, they were given that stupid mask to restrain them, put into cryostorage, and dubbed Type: Null. At least, that's what Faba would tell you."

"Silvavava…" growled Silvally, clawing at the ground angrily. "Sillll…"

While Hau had no particular reaction to that name, Lillie and Sun stiffened. Lillie because she knew exactly the kind of man her mother's lead scientist was, and Sun because Lillie had told him that said scientist was probably responsible for the Drowzee that had attacked them the other day.

"So, what really happened?" Lillie ventured to ask.

"I don't know," Gladion admitted. "But Silvally's never been aggressive for no reason. It's always listened to me when I gave it orders. If only we could get that stupid mask off."

"Pew!" Nebby squeaked before it floated over, and began to inspect the chimeric pokémon. "Pew?"

"Silva…" rumbled the chimera in greeting. "Sil…"

As Sun's Cosmog began to glow with blue energy, all of them stared at it with concern. "Nebby, Nebby what are you doing?" Sun demanded. "Don't use Teleport now!"

"Pew!" Nebby retorted, and only glowed brighter with more blue energy.

Sun quickly grabbed the little pokémon's pokéball, intent on returning it before it could Teleport away with Silvally, but before he could there was a flash of blue light and…

Both pokémon were still there, unscathed. Silvally's mask however… It was cracked all over, and with a triumphant howl, Silvally swiped at the accursed thing with its talons, shattering it utterly. "SIL… VALL… Y…" it threw back its head and roared to the heavens, proudly proclaiming its freedom and power for all to hear.

Now that her brother's pokémon was freed from the mask's weight, Lillie could tell what Sun had meant about it hanging its head low when wearing the mask. It now stood tall and proud, newfound confidence gleaming in the pokémon's eyes.

Gladion stared at his pokémon, mouth open with awe. "Silvally… you're free," he choked out, tears of joy streaming down his face.

"Sil…" his partner growled in agreement, nuzzling against her big brother. "Silvavava…"

"Pew pew pew!" Nebby giggled happily, moving to perch atop Lillie's hat. Unlike other times it had used such a large burst of its power, the little pokémon seemed just as happy and energetic as ever.

"Yes, yes," Lillie praised parentally. "You did very well, Nebby!" But even her attempt to be serious couldn't keep her lips from curling upwards, and Sun and Hau's smiles were positively radiant.

After Gladion and Silvally had their moment, her elder brother turned back to the leadership of Team Sun with an expression closer to his typical stoicism. "How can we repay you for that?" Gladion asked Sun, and Nebby by extension.

Nebby's response was merely another squeaky giggle, but Sun just shook his head, still smiling. "If a person or pokémon needs help, you just help them, right?" he asked, echoing the words that Professor Kukui had said the day they'd gone to the Trainer's School. "You don't owe us anything, dude."

"Oh, come on, Sun," Hau joked. "At least try to recruit him or something, yeah? Or get me his number?"

Gladion, much to Lillie's amusement, blushed at the second part of Hau's comment, but chose to focus on the first. "What does he mean 'recruit me'?"

Sun fished one of the remaining sun pins out of his backpack, and offered it to Gladion. Lillie, never one to pass up an opportunity to tease her boyfriend, smirked. "You never did introduce yourself earlier, did you Sun?" she noted, voice gaining a teasing lilt. "Big Brother, this is Sun. Boss of the great Team Sun… and my boyfriend."

The expression on Gladion's face, the redness of Sun's cheeks, and the way Hau whooped at the new information made Lillie, and most of the gathered pokémon, even Sun's, laugh uproariously.

"Boss? Team Sun? Boyfriend? What?" Gladion asked in confusion, not seeming sure which piece of new information to focus on first.

"Team Sun is something I originally came up with as a joke," Sun explained, evidently deciding to focus on that part first. "And then it was just a thing for our group of friends. But it seems like it'll end up becoming more than that. Hau seems willing to vouch for you, and you're Lillie's big brother, so you're in if you want it."

Gladion looked over all three of them. "And what, exactly, would I be expected to do if I joined this 'Team Sun'? he asked bluntly.

Sun shrugged. "Nothing much," he replied. "If we got into trouble we might ask for your help, but you'd be welcome to do the same. There're no real obligations attached. It's mostly a sign of good faith."

Gladion nodded thoughtfully. "And… What's all this about you dating my sister?" he asked, a vaguely dangerous edge to his voice.

Lillie rolled her eyes. "Gladion, if you're intending to give him the whole 'if you do anything to hurt her' spiel, I can take care of myself," she reminded her elder brother. "I'm a trainer now, and I got out of Aether Paradise by myself." Okay, her escape had required help from Wicke and Nebby, but Gladion didn't need to know that.

"Awe, how sweet!" a voice that had been growing all too familiar lately called, causing Lillie and the rest to turn towards it.

Sun grinned and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey there, A! B! C!" he said, as the Skull Grunts they'd had the most frequent encounters with approached. "What's on the menu today? You guys here to fight? More jerks not letting you guys surf?"

Gladion looked to Lillie with a raised eyebrow, the silently asked, Your boyfriend knows these guys? written all over his face.

Lillie merely shrugged in response. She'd been there for most of their interactions, and even she wasn't sure how Sun had managed to become on such casual terms with the grunts.

"Not exactly, homie," A told Sun. "We're here to warn you about somethin'."

Sun's eyes narrowed slightly, and Sun's pokémon all tensed. "Warn me about what, exactly?" Sun asked, earlier levity gone.

"The other night, Team Skull got a business offer," B explained. "Some lab coat calling himself Faba told us to go after you and Lillie. Said you guys had somethin' valuable. Somethin' that belongs to Aether."

Lillie shuddered involuntarily. Nebby was the only thing Faba would consider valuable in her possession, although the Cosmog was now one of Sun's pokémon. She wasn't worried about fighting A, B, or C, or even most members of Team Skull, but if the entire group tried to press a numbers advantage on Team Sun's four members…

"But Team Skull ain't that stupid," C continued to explain. "You've done right by us every time you had a fair shot at it, homie. We're not gonna be working with that lab coat, or with Aether."

The posture of Sun's pokémon relaxed a little, and his eyes softened. "Then… you're not selling us out?" he asked, his tone somewhere between relieved and appreciative.

"Nah, dude," A confirmed. "Not a chance. Our big sis did say to offer you this, though." Almost reverently, the Grunt pulled what looked like folded black cloth out of a knapsack, and offered it to Sun.

Sun unfolded it carefully and let what turned out to be a black tank top hang in front of him. "This is…" he said with surprise.

"That's right," B confirmed. "It's part of our uniform. You interested in workin' with us… bro?"

A thoughtful expression crossed Sun's face. He seemed to be weighing his options, considering the risks. Just a few days ago, Lillie would've been angered that he wasn't refusing them utterly. But Team Skull had already shielded Sun, Nebby, and herself from her mother's machinations, so she found it didn't bother her as much as it once would have. "What, exactly, would I be expected to do?" Sun asked, echoing Gladion's earlier question about Team Sun.

Before any of the grunts couldn't answer, however, much to Lillie's surprise, Gladion spoke. "Mostly odd jobs and such," her brother explained. "Occasionally serve as an enforcer. That sort of thing."

"An enforcer?" Sun said uncertainly, and Lillie couldn't blame him. That didn't sound good, nor did Gladion's familiarity with the job offer.

"It's not so bad, bro," C assured him. "It's not really any different than what you're doing already. You're already a skilled battler, right? Occasionally we need help fighting someone, like from Aether or whatever, and we call in outside help."

Sun looked to Gladion who confirmed it with a nod. Then Team Sun's boss looked to Lillie, silently asking for his admin's input. Lillie appreciated that, but the truth was working with Team Skull was probably necessary. Her mother was not one to let go of something she wanted easily, and if she'd decided that she wanted Lillie, Nebby, and Sun dragged back to Aether? They'd need all the help they could get. With all that in mind, Lillie gave Sun a solemn nod.

Sun offered A his hand. "Alright," he agreed, "me and my crew will help you guys out. If Aether starts giving you trouble, we'll come bail you out. But if we need your help…"

"Yeah, no problem, bro," A agreed, shaking Sun's hand. "If you get into a big fight with Aether, Team Skull will back you up."

The grin that stretched across Sun's face was positively feral. "Excellent," the boss of Team Sun purred. "In that case… would you mind if I made you an offer of my own?"

"We're listenin'," B replied to which A and C nodded in agreement. "What's the offer bro?"

"My friends and I here are starting a group of our own," Sun explained. "It's a small thing right now, but we're calling ourselves Team Sun." He gestured to Lillie and Hau. "My admins." He nodded towards Gladion. "Our Enforcer. And of course, me, the Boss of Team Sun. But well… there's only the four of us right now."

"So what're you sayin'?" C asked. "We ain't quittin' Team Skull to join you, bro, no offense."

"None taken," Sun assured them. "But consider it… an open offer for work. Team Sun can be called upon if you need help, and if we need some help or some work done, we call on Team Skull. That would be a mutually beneficial deal, would it not?"

The trio of Skull Grunts seemed to be thinking it over. "Tell you what, bro," A said. "We can't make any arrangements for Team Skull without permission from Big Sis or the boss, but you can call on us at least. The three most boneheaded guys in Team Skull!"

Sun visibly reached for the sun pins in his bag before he gave a slight shake of his head and withdrew his hand without any. "Sounds good, dude," he agreed. "Thanks again for warning us about Faba, and Aether's plans for us."

"No problem, bro," B told him. "And for what it's worth comin' from us… Crack Aether's skulls, yeah?"

All of Lillie and Sun's pokémon gave low growls of agreement. Even sweet little Nebby who'd only begun training as a battler a few short days ago had a scowl on its face at the thought of Sun and herself being threatened.

"Believe me," Lillie said with fists clenched, speaking on both her and Sun's behalf. "It'll be our pleasure." She had no desire to end up back at Aether Paradise, but more than that she never wanted to see Sun locked in his mind again as he'd been after Faba's assault on the two of them. When she found Faba, she was going to make him pay!

"We better go let Big Sis know we passed on the info," C told the other two Skull Grunts. "And that Sun is one of our bros now!"

"Yeah, see you around, homies!" A said cheerfully. "Don't let those Aether creeps give you any trouble, you hear?"

Lillie and Hau waved their goodbyes, and Sun gave all three Grunts fist bumps by way of farewell before the trio of their unlikely allies made their way back towards Heahea City, the exact opposite of the direction of Sun's next trial.

"Boss, I'll be honest," Hau said after none of them had spoken for several moments. "I never expected Team Sun would be working with Team Skull."

"Yeah," Sun agreed, "I didn't either. But… I think we can make this work for us." He took a deep breath. "According to my family, trouble's coming to Alola and Team Sun is gonna need all the help we can get."

Gladion stared at Sun curiously. "What are you talking about?" Lillie's big brother asked with a raised eyebrow. "What trouble? And why would your family know about it?"

"The Rocket Syndicate," Sun said simply. "Cipher. Ever heard of those groups?"

For one of the few times Lillie had seen, Hau lost his smile. "Sun, everyone knows who they are," the energetic young man said with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Why are you bringing them up now? And what do they have to do with your family?"

"That trouble I mentioned? Yeah, those groups are it," Sun told them. "And I have family in the Rocket Syndicate. At the top. Their boss, Giovanni? He's my uncle."

Hau and Gladion stared at Sun like he'd grown two additional heads. Their expressions were utterly flabbergasted, and Lillie didn't blame them. "Wait… So…" Hau tried, seemingly incapable of getting words out after Sun's revelation.

"And you're in contact with him, I suppose?" Gladion asked coldly. "That's how you know about this?"

Seeing how positively stricken Sun looked at her brother's words, Lillie spoke up in her boyfriend's defense. "Gladion, Sun hasn't spoken to his uncle in years," she informed her brother.

"It's just like she said," Sun confirmed. "I haven't spoken to the bastard in years. As thanks for cooperating with his investigation in the past, Detective Looker of the international police let my immediate family know that there had potential sightings of Rocket Agents here in Alola. But we're not the only family Giovanni has, and being his son gives my cousin a certain level of sway in the criminal underworld. Being the Johto Champion's right-hand man gives him even more. Silver's heard things. Rumors of my uncle's agents here in Alola. Whispers that they might be allying themselves with Cipher. But he's also heard exactly the opposite from the few members of my uncle's organization willing to leak information. That Alola is beneath their attention, and that working with Cipher is below the Rocket Syndicate's standards."

"Which means you're trying to work with Team Skull because…" Gladion said with dawning comprehension.

"Exactly," Lillie's boyfriend confirmed. "We're gonna need allies to help us if something as big as an alliance between Cipher and Rocket comes at Alola. Team Skull wants money, and to be respected. Well, I've got money, and the more I battle the more I'll make. And they'll be respected if they help beat back the combined forces of the two most notorious criminal organizations the world's ever seen."

Gladion smirked. "I'm impressed," he admitted. "You've really thought it through, haven't you?"

"My aunt and uncle are at the top of the most infamous criminal organization the world has ever known," Sun replied seriously. "All of us here have ambitions of our own, and I don't want the Syndicate getting in our way. Alola is a beautiful region, and I am not letting the Rockets mess up my home a second time."

Lillie remembered how Sun had told her the other night that the events of the Journeys anime they'd watched together were very loosely based on the actions of Red Tajiri and Ash Ketchum. He'd told her about how the two trainers from Pallet Town had beaten back the Rocket Syndicate in Kanto. Sun hadn't said it outright, but the way he'd gushed about them had made it abundantly clear how much he idolized both of the "Heroes of Kanto". And it was only here and now, as her boyfriend laid out his plan to protect Alola, that she realized Sun knew in his heart of hearts he couldn't walk the same path as his idols.

Ash Ketchum and Red Tajiri had gone up against a criminal organization that spanned an entire region with nothing but the pokéballs on their belts, and their best friends at their sides. And Sun wanted so, so badly to be a hero like them. It was obvious in the reckless way he rushed in to save people and pokémon alike, fought pokémon thieves, and helped everyone he could. But her beloved wasn't Ash Ketchum. Wasn't Red Tajiri. His first mentor hadn't been the kindly Professor Oak, but the ruthless gym leader of Viridian City. If Sun wanted to protect Alola, and become a hero in his own right, he'd need to walk his own path. And Lillie silently swore to herself that come hell or high water, she'd be by his side supporting him through all of it.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has left comments and followed and favorited on this little story of mine throughout this year. It means more to me than I can possibly tell you. We're past 100k words, and nowhere near the end. Here's to another 100k next year!